Phantasy Star IIReview

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Relive the magic with a role playing classic.

By David Clayman

Anyone who looks back in reverie on the heydays of the SEGA Genesis will undoubtedly gush over the beginnings of the Phantasy Star Series. Phantasy Star II was one of the highlights of the early 16 bit era and a must-play for anyone who wants to experience the roots of the genre. With the game's release on XBLA reliving the classic has become that much easier, but at what cost? Read on to find out.

Before I delve into the content of the game there's a bit of back story to the pricing of this release. In February of 2009 SEGA released Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection on Xbox 360 and PS3. This excellent collection featured upgraded versions of 49 classic games from the Genesis and Master System for thirty dollars. It can likely be picked up today for even less. Keep in mind that this disc includes Phantasy Star 1, 2, 3, and 4. Now SEGA is releasing many of the games found on this disc individually over Xbox Live. You can purchase Phantasy Star II for 400 Microsoft Points or about five dollars which is an inflated price when compared to the collection.

No matter how you obtain the updated Phantasy Star game it's definitely worth the money. The series originally stood out for its futuristic elements that bucked the regular swords and sorcery setting for guns, clones, and space travel. You enter the world as a hero named Rolf who is tasked with finding out why society's ruling supercomputer named Mother Brain has done nothing to curb the spread of monsters across the solar system.

The main character is soon joined by a cast of companions as he fights his way across the wilderness and through dungeons. Like many RPGs of the same era, Phantasy Star II has a high difficulty level when compared with more modern takes on the genre. Entering into dangerous battles frequently is a necessity if you expect to collect the money and experience needed to struggle through each and every dungeon. Everything from healing your party, teleporting to a village, to resurrecting (cloning) a character comes at a price high enough that it often necessitates entering successive battles to improve abilities and equipment.

The combat system itself has a moderate amount of complexity especially when compared with the early Final Fantasy titles. There are a variety of weapons, techniques, and items that can be micromanaged during combat or players can simply choose the fight (FGHT) option to power through encounters. While the story progression in Phantasy Star II is extremely linear by today's standards it does have a memorable cast that maintains momentum through the 40-plus hour experience.

This release of the game comes with a few upgrades which include the standard set of 200 achievement points that are doled out for progressing through the story. Graphically the game is presented with its original sprites in a 4:3 box that can be stretched to fit a larger or wider screen. There's a smoothing option that takes the edge off of the art but also renders some of the text blurry, so we don't recommend using it. Enhanced functionality includes online leaderboards and some very basic help menus. The best feature however is the ability to save anywhere in the game, including mid-battle. It makes this challenging epic much easier to swallow.

The only painfully outdated aspect of Phantasy Star comes when navigating the menus. There is often no way to backtrack through equipment screens making party management a hassle. There are also the famous four letter character limits that pop up in various parts of the game. You'll figure out what "STGY" stands for eventually, but it isn't exactly an inviting layout. Once you get past the these bumps in the road you'll certainly be able to see why the series has gathered such a dedicated fan base.

The Verdict

It&#Array;s difficult to give the downloadable version of Phantasy Star II too big of a recommendation considering it was released for a much lower price as part of Sonic&#Array;s Ultimate Genesis Collection along with a slew of other classics including Phantasy Star I, III, and IV. But pricing aside, Phantasy Star II is one of the truly classic role playing games of the 16 bit era. While it has some technical issues like the truncation of words and a less than elegant menu system it stands the test of time with its long and enjoyable story.